Just over a month ago I wrote a
blog post pondering several
ideas for my next novel. I finally picked one and have already started the
research.

So what did I choose? I was leaning toward writing another
middle grade historical novel, and that's what I decided to do. This one will tell the story of a Native
American girl who leaves the reservation at the turn of the last century to be
“civilized” at an Indian Boarding School.

I chose this topic for several
reasons.

There
is enough good research information out there to create a realistic story.

The
topic has not been overdone. In fact, it has rarely been covered at all,
with few middle grade books on the subject.

This
is another instance of American injustice that middle graders don’t know
about but should.

One more reason: I love
learning about new cultures. This way I get to do it while “at work” writing.

And what could be better than that?

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The picture at the head of this post shows the students at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania around 1890. It is in the public domain because of its age.